18 
in this account to reconcile the relation 
by Alcaforado, who was esquire or 
equerry to prince Henry, with that of 
de Barros. Having opened the latter 
part of this account, we will faithfully 
and to the letter translate the passage 
in Joam de Barros: “ Joam Gonzalvez 
and ‘lristram Vaz, being called to a 
better fortune and more: prosperity, did 
not chuse to return to the kingdom; sfill 
Jess to make their abode in that island, 
(Porto Santo.) But when Bertolameo 
Perestrallo had departed, they deter- 
muxd to go and see whether that thick 
shadow which the island now called 
Madeira made, was land. For a long 
time they had not been able to decide 
this; for, by reason of the great moisture 
contained there by the thickness of the 
woods, they always saw it, smoaking 
with vapours, which seemed to them to 
be thick clouds; and at other times they 
affirmed that it was land, for marking 
the place they did not see it cleared 
away like other parts. So that being 
moved by this desire, they, seeing the 
sea fit for their purpose, passed over to 
it in two barks which they had built 
with the wood of the island, and they 
called it Madeira, because of the great 
and thick woods with which it was 
covered.” Decade i. b00k i. chapter iii. 
page 29. last edition. 
This is the narrative, and the whole 
harrative,' as it is found in Joam de 
Barros. © The methed by which Mr. 
Clarke has reconciled it with the rei:tion 
of prince Henry’s equerry, is by disre- 
garding the plain tale of the historian, 
and substituting in its place the whole 
romance which bears Alcaforados’ name: 
romance we call it, for we do not be- 
lieve that even Mr. Clarke himself, 
though he believes in Kissceeus and Jacob 
Bryant, could believe he was recording 
history when he inserted the tale of the 
dreadfal suave and the dreaded abyss. 
The phenomenon, if a fog is to be 
called a phenomenon, still exists. When 
abreast of Porto Santo, says Stavorinus, 
you first perceive a great haziness very 
like a thick. smoke to the $. W. nearly: 
ten degrees above the horizon, which 
of a nearerapproach is dissipated, and 
the high Jand of Madeira rises to view, 
yet still enveloped with clouds, half way 
downwards from the sunimits-of ° the 
hilis... Neither Joam de Barros, nor 
Faria y Sousa,’ poet and hyperbolist as 
he was, have exaggerated: the- common 
circumstance, a 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
On prince Henry’s application to the 
pope for a bull to establish his right to 
the discoveries, we are told that the 
Jesuits were not insensible to the advan- 
tages they might thus obtam. - Ignatius 
Loyola was not born till long after 
prince Henry’s death. Mr. Clarke has 
fallen into the common absurdity of dis- 
guising ‘the faults of his favourite : the 
unfortunate expedition to Tangiers did 
not arise from the military ardour of 
king Edward, as he has stated; king 
Edward was averse to the expedition, 
but his weak temper yielded to the 
pertinacity and artiftces of Henry. In 
this instance, a foolish courage led 
prince Henry ; a morecriminal cowardice 
made him desert his brother Pedro m 
his distresses. These circumstances are 
not necessarily connected with ‘the 
“ Progress of Maritime Discovery,” but’ 
Mr. Clarke has uniformly exalted the 
characters of his heroes by this species 
of talshood. In one instance he has 
been guilty of a worse disingenuity = it 
is in the account of the ‘sufferings of 
Gama’s men fiom the seurvy : 
*« With this pestilent infection and sie- 
nesse, our men were greatly diseomfited, and 
many of them dyed thereof; whielv also put 
the reste of the companie tn greate feare awd 
perplexitie of minde. Yea, and further 
would have increased and aygrawated their 
griefes of bodye, and sorrowes, were it not, 
that ove DA GAMA, @ wan ‘of good natitre 
and condition, had taken spectall care and 
used greate dtiligence, for lhe recoucrye of* 
their healths, and putline them in comfort < 
La) “ 
who continually visited the ‘sicke, and Uber- 
ally departed unto thene such wholesome tnd 
medicinatle things, as for his one lodie hee- 
had prouided and carried with him. Throngke 
whose -goed counsell giuen, great puines 
taken, and franke distribution of that he had, 
many of our men -recouered: which would 
otherwise hawe died, and alt the vest-therchy® 
were greatly reconiforted.”’ 
By this passage thus printed in italics, 
with the name da Gama in capitals, it is 
evident that Mr. Clarke wishes to make 
the reader believe that it was the-com- 
mander of the expédition who thus gave 
his own private stores of medicine to be 
divided among the sick. Yet it is rather 
extraordinary that an historian should 
call him one da Gama; and the absurdity. 
willbe felt if we imagine Dr. Hawksworth: 
writing of the benefit which the sailors. 
of the Endeavour experienced from the _ 
humanity of one Cook. Mr. Clarke in= 
stead ‘of ‘condensing’ a narrative from 
Castanheda, has given seraps of an old 
